1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe ‘Secret Weapon’

In 1964, Carroll Shelby was looking to make his mark in the world of European racing — namely, he wanted to show that American cars could compete with Europe’s in the Le Mans Endurance Race. So, he commissioned a secret weapon, a car that would be blazing fast and blow everything else off the asphalt with its raw speed. The result was this beautiful beast, the 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupé Secret Weapon.

The model in question was one of just six Daytona Coupes given the custom upgrade. The Ford engine standard to the Daytona Coupe was replaced with a NASCAR-inspired big block, which engineers speculated would allow the chromic coupe to top 200 miles per hour at Le Mans. Rather tragically, the model was on its way to Le Mans when the truck carrying it was involved in an accident. Too much damage occurred to the precious cargo and the racecar was forced to retire. Now, a handful of continuation cars have been produced. If you’ve got the coin, you can own a piece of car-racing history, and see for yourself how fast the Secret Weapon might have gone.